Malahide Castle
Malahide Castle, located in Malahide, Dublin County, Ireland, is a very old (and proud) castle, It was built in 1185 by King Henry II of England, for his friend Sir Richard Talbot. A knight who had been helpful to the king during his travels, Richard Talbot was given the Malahide Area. At one point, the Talbot family was at one point one of the most powerful families in Ireland, to the extent that King Edward the Fourth felt obliged to expand their castle massively (giving it towers and a larger garden). They where also Roman Catholic and where massively against the Roundheads (who took over the castle between 1649 and 1600). The castle remained in the Talbot Family until 1979, when they had to sell it to the council in order to pay inheritance tax. The castle is one of the oldest castles in Ireland and is also the most haunted, having a grand total of at least five ghosts, haunting the castle. }} Miles Corbet Miles Corbet was an English Politician, Roundhead, and what was called a Regicide, during the English civil war between Oliver Cromwell and the monarchy, he represented Yarmouth and was one of the politicians who signed the death warrant for King Charles I (in fact his signature was the very last one). He was a very strong supporter of Oliver Cromwell and the idea of a British Republic (He wanted to get rid of the Monarchy, like Cromwell). He was also very anti-catholic and spent a lot of his time fighting Cavaliers (the kings knights, Against Cromwell). As a result of this, when Oliver Cromwell took over, he drove the Talbots out of Malahide Castle and then gave the Malahide area to Miles Corbet. During his time there Miles was well known for not getting along with the local population, who where mostly Catholic. He (Being against Catholicism all-together),tried to outlaw it in Malahide and started attacking the local Abbey, vandalizing it at first. But eventually he managed to get many of Cromwell's Knights to completely destroy the Peoples place of prayer, and this earned him the reputation of being Dictator. In 1660, Cromwell was overthrown and executed. The monarchy was reinstated and King Charles II was put into power. He Decided that he wanted to execute all of the 59 'Regicides' (Member's of parliament who had signed Charles I death warrant). Corbet was of course one of them. The moment he heard of this he fled to the Netherlands. During his time there the Talbot's simply moved back into their castle. King Charles II however, caught Corbet two years later in 1662 and took him back to Malahide, where he was executed. He was Hanged, Drawn, then Quartered as an example as to what happened to people who enjoyed the death of a king. Since then, Corbet's Ghost is said to haunt the Castle. His Ghost can be quite unsettling. As well as running throughout the castle every anniversary of his death at night, his ghost has also appeared other times of the year, his ghost usually in a full suit of armour. It is also said that the ghost has a habit of falling apart into quarters, reminiscent of his execution. Walter Hussey Walter Hussey, also known as the Young Lord Galtrim (Since he was the son of the Lord of Galtrim). Hehad been a Cavailer, who had been sent to Malahide to fight Roundheads. During his time there he fell in love with a woman, and eventually he decided he was going to marry her. This was good news and Hussey's father actually traveled to Malahide so that he could persuade the Talbot's to let his son be wed in the castle. They agreed, Hussey was still engaged and so made an effort to stay in Malahide but it did mean that he had to stay whilsts the Battles, and the Roundheads moved elsewhere. On the Morning of the Wedding, Hussey was not preparing for battle but for his wedding instead, This was unlucky, as he was ambushed by his rival as he traveledto Malahide Castle to be married. The rival was a roundhead with a personal grudge against him. Shocked, Hussey Drew his sword but it was too late. The Roundhead threw his spear at Hussey, killing him instantly. After the death of Hussey, His wife-to-be actually fell in love with his murderer, and soon married him instead. This tragic and untimely death is remembered by Hussey's Ghost. The Ghost of Walter Hussey will wander throughout the castle, sometimes showing his wound from the spear. It is believed by many that he is trying to tell people why he did not show up for the wedding. He is also upset that his would-be-wife married his murderer. Chief Justice Lord Chief Justice (Presumed to be his actual name), was a landowner and the third and last husband of Maud Plunkett. His ghost is closely connected to the ghost of Plunkett and is usually seen being chased throughout the castle by the ghost of his wife. However, Justice does have some of his own haunting behavior. Because Chief Justice was an avid body-builder, and spent a lot of time fighting with his wife, he spent any spare time he had exercising. And so, in various parts of the castle, his ghost can be seen exercising, often going for a jog or weightlifting. Maud Plunkett Maud Plunkett, was, as mentioned before, the wife of Chief Justice. She lived in the castle for a short time along with the Talbots. When Maud married Chief it was her third wedding. Chief Justice was unaware of Plunkett's rather petty behavior, which had caused her last two husbands to leave her. As a result she became very possessive of Chief Justice, Some say that she may have beaten her third husband. Even if she didn't, she certainly spent a lot of time arguing with him. Usually over petty reasons, Plunkett was apparently very violent during these fights to the extent that Chief Justice often ran away when the arguing escalated, and Plunkett often chased him. The fights apparently got so bad that it is possible that the Talbots kicked them out of the castle. Plunkett's ghost is always accompanied by the ghost of Chief Justice, or at least another, anamorphic paranormal presence. She will chase her husband around the castle many times. Puck Of Malahide The man who came to be known as Puck, during the Tudor Era, was in fact the Talbot family's Jester. He was a dwarf, measuring four feet tall. As well as being a jester he was also a watchman who lived in one of the towers. He kept watch for intruders and he also kept an eye on prisoners in the tower. Puck was well known for being reclusive and very neat when he was not working. During his time there, Henry VIII became worried of a woman named Lady Elenora Fitzgerald, and sent her away to be held prisoner in Malahide. It was Puck who was made to keep an eye on her. Surprisingly, Puck actually ended up falling in love with Fitzgerald, and at first he kept it to himself. But eventually, word of this spread. The rumours did however, warp the truth of what was actually happening. It was originally that someone in Malahide Castle was on side with Fitzgerald, and eventually people started conspiring that the Talbots were planning with Fitzgerald, and although this was not true, it worried the Talbots. If the rumour reached King Henry he would probably declare war on them. As a result, on a very snowy December morning, Puck was found stabbed just outside the castle walls. It is believed that he was killed by a member of the Talbot family. Subsequently they then started to say that Puck had killed himself. Although this is possible. it is not often believed. Puck had said shortly before his death that his ghost would haunt the castle, but not hurt anyone as long as a male Talbot lived there. Surely enough Pucks ghost now haunts the castle and his ghost seems rather live and it cannot be predicted what he will do. Unlike the other ghosts in the Castle, Puck's Ghost has also been seen numerous times. He was seen during the selling of the castle in 1979. Although he has rarely been seen to manifest since, he often appears in photographs. Despite his promise, Puck has never hurt anyone. Category:Hauntings in Ireland